


The Day After

by maskedhero



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Awkwardness, First Time, M/M, Mutual Pining, No Homo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 07:48:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11504904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maskedhero/pseuds/maskedhero
Summary: After a surprise battle that Zelos and Lloyd barely survive, Lloyd gives into his desires and feelings for his best friend. The next morning, how the hell are they going to get past this awkward encounter?





	The Day After

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to @minaturegalaxy (my lovely gf), @aquietdin (a fantastic writer and my bestie), @shadsyadventure (an amazing writer and my good friend), and @krystalning (a NEW FRIEND) for helping me beta this filthy piece of junk
> 
> this is my longest work yet and I have nobody to blame but myself and everyone to thank for enabling me, so thank you! I hope you enjoy it, if you have any critique or comments please feel free to let me know so I can improve in the future!
> 
> no homo, or anything

Swinging his blades so hard they nearly fly out of his hands, Lloyd slices open the carapace of an insectoid monster with a scream, his muscles spasming in pain. An ear-shredding shriek marks the death of this final creature, _this has to be the final one_ , and it tumbles, nearly crushing Lloyd before he blindly stumbles backwards. He pants so hard he wheezes. He tries to listen for more enemies, tries to stay calm.

When nothing else comes, Lloyd falls hard to his knees. A narrow victory won. Their attackers lie slain on the ground, an entire herd of monstrous armored mantises who still twitch their toxic fangs. He can smell grassy charred flesh, an acrid smoke rising off the corpses.

They’d ambushed him and Zelos as they traveled in the blue twilight across the field, heading for camp. Hungry and hunting, Lloyd and Zelos must have been the first travelers those monsters had seen for months. He was lucky to have come out of that battle alive.

A spike of panic: Lloyd lost track of Zelos during the fight, blinded by the effects of poison. He still feels the toxin ebb through his veins, and he can barely move, much less stand up. He calls out for him, hating the weakness in his voice. His head is pounding. Lloyd straightens his back, shaking from exertion. He cleans off the guts from his blades and sheathes them before he can drop them.

“I’m here, bud.”

_Zelos_.

He kneels beside him, feels Zelos take his face between his hands. His warm voice soothes him immediately; _thank God_ _he’s okay_. A hand squeezes his arm, and he hears Zelos uncorking a bottle of Panacea with his teeth. “Open up.”

Lloyd obeys and lets Zelos tip the potion into his mouth. He guzzles as much as he can of the thick purple liquid until his headache subsides and the feeling of sickness slips away.

“You were amazing,” Zelos is breathless still, checking over Lloyd with pats and pulls. He tugs open Lloyd’s coat. His hands glow with healing aid, cooling as he trails his fingers over his skin. Lloyd gasps and shivers at the feeling, his wounds knitting together under Zelos’ feather-light touch.

Lloyd’s vision returns to him slowly, and the first thing he can see is _him_ , his best friend, alive. Relief washes over him anew. Relief, and something else he’d buried deep, deep inside of himself for months: Desire.

 

~~

 

Last night was a blur after that. He still doesn’t remember who kissed whom first.

He certainly doesn’t remember how he managed to crush Zelos against a tree, nor does he remember how they even made it back to their campsite. He just remembers how he felt: how grateful he was, how the high of adrenaline, of _being alive,_ drove him nearly insane. How it felt like the only thing in the world in that moment was _Zelos_ , and he wanted finally to drink him in until his thirst was slaked.

No matter how hard he tries, he can’t forget the sound of Zelos’ voice; can’t forget his weight on top of him, how his hair fell around his face, how his hands wandered. He was so desperate for sensation he dry-humped him until they dripped with sweat; Zelos kissed and sucked his exposed flesh raw, driving Lloyd mad. They groped each other over their clothing until they finished, completely spent and hoarse.

It was messy, and clumsy, and quick. Lloyd had never come that hard in his life.

_(“Lloyd… ahn, yes! Lloyd!”)_

Lloyd shakes his head, his whole face burning. He’d remember the way Zelos moaned his name until the end of his days.

Somehow, he managed to get the campfire started again early that morning, unable to sleep. He sips on a cup of coffee as he pokes at the flames.

How many times had Lloyd dared to even imagine holding his hand without getting completely embarrassed with himself? And then _this_ happens? This dumb crush had finally gotten him into trouble. How was he going to explain himself?

Memories from last night still haunt him, as well as the physical reminders: His bottom lip is sensitive from being bitten, and he’s not entirely sure the bruises on his chest and neck are only from the battle from last night. His hips ache from twisting and arching them, and his throat is still sore from all the shameful sounds he made.

_And I’d do it again. I’d do it all again._

_Ugh. Stop being gross, Lloyd. You sound like_ him _._

He glances back at their shared tent for the fourth time since he left this morning. Zelos is still in there, probably sleeping as per usual.

_Or avoiding me._ Guilt rises in Lloyd’s throat. Things weren’t going to be the same after last night. He didn’t know how he felt about that. Maybe he could just ignore it. Maybe they could just go on without talking about it, and it could just be a thing that happened once, and not a big deal. And then he could move on and get over it.

 

“I need a distraction,” Lloyd mumbles.

Despite not being hungry, he decides to cook up breakfast and get the day started. He retrieves ingredients from Noishe’s saddlebags, giving his dog an appreciative pat on the head.

“Mmkay. What do we make today?” He pokes around and pulls out a clutch of eggs first, along with a cast iron frying pan. The next thing he finds is a long, curly sausage.

“... No. Absolutely not.” He tosses the sausage to Noishe, who devours it noisily.

He settles on making a hash of eggs, potatoes, and bacon, with some green bell peppers and mushrooms in the mix, topped with a bit of cheese. He thinks about carving up some melons for a sweet side, and doing that thing that Zelos likes and salting them a little to bring out the flavor.

_No, wait, not melons. Those are his favorite._ This wasn’t a ‘thank you for the orgasm’ breakfast, this was a regular breakfast between friends. For good measure, Lloyd drops the cantaloupe they have in front of Noishe, who happily noshes on the fruit.

“Enjoy your breakfast, boy.” He smiles, scratching him behind one giant ear.

 

Lloyd tries to focus on the food. He washes his hand, plops down on a large log in front of the fire, and gets started.

Chop everything up. Bacon in the pan first, then cook the veggies in the fat. Add the bacon back in along with the eggs and fold it all together. Cooking was always strangely therapeutic to him, although Lloyd didn’t consider himself a master at it. He much preferred cooking in the outdoors over a comfortable fire, compared to the homely bustle of cooking in a kitchen over a stove.

Zelos is oddly good at cooking too, Lloyd thinks, at least when there’s a recipe and steps involved. One thing that can be said about Zelos is his ability to follow directions to the exact letter, with unmatched focus when he really, really wanted to put his mind to something. For all his pomp and circumstance, he’s ultimately concerned about how people think about him. He’s always focused on pleasing the people he truly cares about.

He rests his chin on his hand, staring at the pan of sizzling food. His eyes drift closed.

_(“Lloyd, z’at f’good?” Zelos slurs, his lips more occupied with kissing him than forming coherent words. Lloyd squirms under him as Zelos plucks at his nipples, sending hot chills all up and down his spine. He can hardly answer, he can only whimper into the night air, gasping for breath. Zelos ducks his head down and latches onto his chest with his mouth, and Lloyd thinks he’ll die. How could something like that feel so amazing?)_

Lloyd snaps out of his thoughts, his eggs burning right under his nose.

“Damn it!” He pulls the pan out of the fire and tries to salvage what he can, separating the hash onto two plates. It isn’t too ruined, at least.

“Hey, I made breakfast,” Lloyd calls to the tent. “Uh, but you don’t have to eat it or anything. I mean, you can if you want to? I made enough for both of us but I was just hungry so I didn’t make it for, like, a reason. Breakfast is ready though.” Lloyd winces, smacking his face with both hands and suppressing a growl.

_stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid_

He hears Zelos emerge from the tent, groaning loudly in complaint, as he always does. Lloyd straightens his back.

“Gonna take a leak,” Zelos announces, “over there. Just so you know.”

Lloyd keeps his eyes fixed on his breakfast, giving him a single wave. The eggs are definitely burned and overcooked, a dry, unappealing sulfuric green. He covers each dish in a liberal amount of cheese and salt to hopefully salvage it.

Zelos comes back after a moment. He swings his arms awkwardly at his sides and smacks his palm against his fist. “So, ah.” He puffs air out of his cheeks. “How’re you feeling? Your wounds and junk-- and _stuff_.”

“Fine.” Lloyd butters some crusty bread, avoiding looking at him. “Kinda sore. You?”

“I’m good. Real good. Also sore. Mana depletion. Y’know.”

Zelos takes a breath, like he wants to say something else, and Lloyd stiffens. When nothing comes and he just releases in a long sigh, Lloyd holds out his plate of food. “C’mon and eat. It’s not great.”

Zelos sits on the ground as opposed to the log next to Lloyd. He takes his plate from Lloyd with a mumbled ‘thanks’ and chows down, making a slight face.

“No kidding. You really took these eggs to hell and back, didn’t you?” Zelos teases.

“Oh shut up.” Lloyd cringes inwardly. Was that too harsh?

“Mm.” Zelos’ fork clicks loudly on the plate. “Whatever. Thank you for making breakfast, anyway. Is there more coffee?”

“In the pot there.” Lloyd vaguely gestures to it, staring down into his food. Zelos waits for a moment. When Lloyd doesn’t make a move to pour him some, he grumbles and gets some himself.

They continue eating in silence. A crow calls in the distance, the campfire crackles gently, and Lloyd’s mind is full of static. He’s never been this uncomfortable around Zelos. Usually he’s nattering about _something_ by now, cracking jokes or complaining. What was he thinking right now? Was he going to say something? Should Lloyd say something?

“Hey,” Lloyd jumps at Zelos’ voice; he hadn’t realized he’d stood up, “I’ll do dishes, hand it over.”

Lloyd practically throws his plate at him, standing after he walks off. He had to do _something_ to get rid of his nervous energy.

He busies himself with the usual morning tasks: dousing the fire; feeding Noishe and playing with him while checking the perimeter; sharpening and polishing his swords, and his boots for good measure, and his coat buttons too, why not; packing the tent; hanging up a clothesline; pulling out the sleeping bags and his dirty clothes and doing the laundry; by the time he’s done with everything, it’s only about noon.

He returns to hang up the rest of his clothes on their clothesline. Zelos has their map spread out against his crossed legs, his hair tied up high and his bottom lip poking out in deep thought. His eyes are closed and his foot is bouncing in the air.

_Cute._ Lloyd bites his lip to hold back a swear, considering turning the other way and hightailing it out of there.

“I washed your sleeping bag,” Lloyd says, and it’s Zelos’ turn to jump at the sound of his voice. He places a hand on his chest and stares up at him wide-eyed. Lloyd keeps walking, staring straight ahead.

“What? Why? Was it _dirty_?”

“I-I mean, I dunno, they just haven’t been washed in a while. Figured you’d like it fresh.” Lloyd returns to hanging them up, his face flushed.

“Thanks, I guess?” Zelos regains his composure, folding up the map and reopening it. “Yeah. Makes sense. Did you-”

“Zelos, I-” Lloyd interrupts, and both men stammer and stumble over their apologies.

“You first,” Zelos offers.

“No, uh, it wasn’t important.” Lloyd clears his throat.

“Mine either. Oh hey, actually, we need to make a stop at a grocer when we head into town. Can you get me the lips- the LIST. Can you make me a _list_ of supplies?”

“Uh. Yeah.” Lloyd steps over to their bag, opening up their rucksack with their medicinal supplies. “So… we need Panacea after yesterday’s close call. Maybe a Life bottle if we can afford it. Just in case something like last night happens again.” He wrinkles his nose. “You know, the, the monsters.”

“There were way too many of them,” Zelos’ voice goes darkly quiet. Lloyd looks up from the bag to find him staring at the ground, the map bunched in his fist.

“Yeah… If it weren’t for your fireball cover and your healing, I’d be a goner. You kinda saved my life, I guess.”

“Just returning an old favor.” Zelos looks up at him and Lloyd glances away, pretending to stare off into the distance. His ears feel like they’re burning up.

“Nah. I owe you one.”

“I’m not keeping score.” Zelos looks up into the sky. “It really was close, wasn’t it?” He mumbles.

“Heh.” Lloyd pulls out an empty bottle with some purple liquid still clinging to the inside. His mouth goes dry remembering the bitter taste of it, remembering the utter pain racking his bones. “I thought we were going to die for sure.” He remembers the relief of Zelos’ hands on his skin.

Zelos makes a pensive sound. “After all we’ve been through, I wasn’t about to let a bunch of bugs take my bud away from me. I’d die before that happened.” Zelos’ voice is fond, soft, pondering, and Lloyd, god help him Lloyd craves that tone of his voice so much. “I’m just sorry I didn’t fight hard enough to keep you from getting hurt.”

There’s another long stretch of silence.

Lloyd finally looks over at him. “Well, I’m okay now, aren’t I?” He flashes a grin at him. His heart feels like it’ll fly out of his chest.

Zelos lets a breath go and smirks. “Yeah. It’s hard to kill you for good.” He looks back into his lap and chews his lower lip. Lloyd stares for a moment, waiting for him to say something. When he doesn’t, he returns to taking care of the list of supplies.

 

In about an hour, they manage to get all their things saddled up onto Noishe. Lloyd’s mind still churns as they walk, Zelos walking on the other side of his dog with the map.

_Usually he walks right next to me,_ Lloyd thinks, his chest growing tight. _God, I really messed up._

Lloyd clears his throat. “How long is it to Asgard?”

“It’s a short hike. It should be evening by the time we get there.” Zelos folds up the map and tucks it into one of Noishe’s bags. “Then we can get a proper hotel room, with real beds.” He groans with yearning, and Lloyd can’t help but laugh.

“Not an outdoorsman, still?”

“Oh God no. My back is so fucked up. I don’t know how you do it, Irving, you’re a real natural on the ground- ah,” Zelos stammers, “I mean, you just have a lot of energy, I guess. Outside. Lumberjack man. Live and breath the dirt.”

“You okay there?” Lloyd tilts his brow, peering at him over Noishe’s neck.

“I’m just real tired, don’t worry about it bud.” Zelos waves him off, throwing his arms over his head. “Not thinking straight.”

_Me either._ Lloyd swallows. “If you need a ride for a little--”

“I’m good!” Zelos interrupts him, his voice cracking.

 

The next couple of hours are tense, quiet, and agonizing. They only exchange maybe a couple words here and there, but otherwise, Lloyd has no clue what to even say.

He can’t help but let his mind wander, inevitably leading him back to last night; back to remembering every moment that occurred. Back to remembering how Zelos kissed him, open-mouthed and eager, licking his tongue and sucking his lips. Lloyd had been so clumsy, clacking their teeth together in his desperation to match Zelos’ feverish pace. And yet, despite his inexperience, Zelos whispered encouraging things to him, into his mouth, against his cheek, pressed against the lobe of his ear; _“Slow down,”_ he’d purred, _“you’re okay, bud,”_ Lloyd shuddered and met him halfway, _“just like that._

_“You’re a real natural.”_

Unconsciously, he touches his lips. He closes his palm over his mouth, and his whole body trembles for a full minute. Zelos’ low, husky voice in his ears, guiding Lloyd’s hands to his ass, his moans visible in the cold night; Lloyd realizes he’s in deep trouble. It could be too easy to get addicted to remembering. And he can already feel his ‘downstairs’ becoming _compromised._

_Just think about math or something._ Lloyd sighs. _God damn it._

 

As they walk, Lloyd spots windmills on the top of their destinated mountain, Asgard’s telltale landmarks. They climb the path up the peak, gaining a view of the valley below them. Lloyd’s mind wanders as he looks out over the field, watching the wind lazily blow through tall fields of grass, like fingers through hair. The sun sets off to their right, sinking below the trees, its rays still reaching through the sky. The blue sky slowly folds into saturated orange and deep purple, and the fluffy clouds become soaked in pink and outlined in gold. The entire landscape is blanketed in rosy hues, and Lloyd is filled with awe. He mouths to himself, ‘wow’, and stops for a moment just to stare.

Zelos comes up beside him. They both watch the horizon, and the wind blows up the side of the mountain to greet them in true Asgard fashion. Lloyd dares to sneak a look at Zelos, and finds his eyes instead. He forces himself to look at him, awkwardly smiling.

“It’s gorgeous,” Lloyd mutters. He has a stark realization: _The colors remind me of you._

Zelos puts an arm around Lloyd’s shoulders and hums in agreement. “It’s all right. Kind of a romantic place to take a cute girl, eh?”

Lloyd huffs, pulling away from him. “I mean, I guess?” He keeps walking, his shoulders feeling light and tingly. “Don’t really have time for dates these days.”

“Could find somebody here,” Zelos trots up behind him, “I mean, you’re basically a celebrity to Sylvarantis. Pick up somebody cute, show her a good time.”

“You always talk about me finding a girl to mess around with, but have you ever considered maybe I’m not interested in that kind of thing?” Lloyd grumbles, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Zelos doesn’t say anything for a long moment. Lloyd’s stomach boils with anxiety over it; _shouldn’t have said it like that. He’s definitely suspicious now. Damn it. You keep screwing up, Lloyd._

_What if he doesn’t want to travel with me anymore?_

“Sorry,” Zelos finally says. “I just want you to be happy, yknow?”

“I’m happy with it just being the two of us,” Lloyd admits, kicking a rock off the cliff. “We’ve got each other’s backs, we’re a good team, we-- we fight good.”

“Heh. Yeah. I’m the brains, you’re the brawn.” There’s a smirk in Zelos’ voice.

“Hey now,” Lloyd starts, looking up at him with a grin.

“Am I lying?” Zelos teases, pushing him gently.

“If we’re calling _you_ the brains, we’re in a lot of trouble,” Lloyd laughs, nudging him back.

“Hey now, if your brain was as big as your dick, you wouldn’t have a problem!” Zelos lets out a laugh that’s a little too loud. Lloyd laughs in confusion. They laugh together in a crazed manner. Lloyd has _no clue_ how to answer.

“It’s- ha ha, it’s not _that_ big?”

“It is. Oh it is.”

They both chuckle intermittently, the conversation coming to a screeching, flaming halt as they both walk a little faster to make it into Asgard, staring straight ahead.

 

Reaching the little valley of scalloped cliffs tucked into the mountain, Lloyd notes that there are more decorations than usual here; the constant wind that blesses this place plays with wind chimes and pennants and streamers, and the smell of sweets and fried fare wafts warm through the air. The unmistakable sound of bustling crowds reaches their ears, and colorful lanterns lead them along the path, swinging jovially on thick wires, the little flames inside guttering stubbornly.

A woman dressed in a ceremonial kimono greets them, extending a paper fan to the middle of the tiered square, where tents and countless people fill the cliffsides.

“Welcome to the Festival of Lovers!” She’s punctuated by a gust of wind that sweeps Zelos’ mane of hair right into Lloyd’s face.

“ _Festival?_ ” Zelos’ jaw drops open.

“Lovers?!” Lloyd spits out a lock of Zelos’ hair.

“We- we need a room, are there any vacancies?” Zelos’ voice is panicked, but in an effort to save face, he smooths back his hair and smirks. “By the way, you’re really sexy.” Lloyd’s palm finds his forehead.

“... Thank you? Oh gosh, that’s probably unlikely, we’re on the second night of celebrations and the whole city is full at this point,” the woman says. Zelos throws his hands onto his head.

Lloyd steps forward, his heart in his throat. “We’ve- we’ve travelled a long way, and we’re exhausted, please. Do you know anywhere we could try?”

The lady points them to an inn on the far, far end of Asgard, ramshackle and shoved between a cliff wall and a rundown store that sells sad-looking kites. Sure enough, there’s a single room left, and Zelos buys up a key for it immediately, no questions asked.

“Now we can have some real downtime. This ain’t the most luxurious place we’ve ever been, but it’s a bed, right?” Zelos chirps, unlocking the last door at the very end of the musty hallway.

They come into a tiny room with unfinished wooden walls, bare floors, and a single full mattress tucked against the wall underneath frosted windows.

“It’s _a_ bed,” Lloyd confirms dryly.

“God hates me.”

Wordlessly, they drop their bags in a corner of the room and take a look around, although there’s not much to look at. Lloyd peels off his jacket, feeling a little warm, while Zelos opens up the windows and stares outside, humming.

“There’s actually a pretty good view from here. You can see the whole festival. I guess it is the beginning of summer, so of course they’d have a festival of lovers. Adorable.”

“Probably plenty of hunnies for you to go and flirt with,” Lloyd offers, slipping out of his boots in favor of a more comfortable pair of shoes. “And maybe they’ll actually flirt back this time.”

“Ohhh yeah. I could probably get a little party goin’, maybe one of these lovelies will offer up her luxurious digs, see where the night takes us.” Zelos leans out of the window, surveying his prey. “You ‘aren’t interested in that sort of thing’, so I’ll spare you an invitation to my orgy.”

Lloyd scoffs, his face burning and his stomach twisting as he briefly imagines Zelos surrounded by a gaggle of women. _Stupid, dumb crush. Stupid, dumb jealousy._ “Thanks for the consideration.”

“Hey. Come out with me. Let’s go enjoy ourselves, what do you say?” Zelos leaves the window open, leaning against the sill. “We’ve had a rough couple of days, and you seem super tense. I think we deserve it.”

_Oh, I seem tense, huh? No kidding._ Lloyd blows some hair out of his face, glancing over at Zelos with a reluctant expression. Zelos drops to a knee and presses his hands together, giving Lloyd the biggest puppy-eyed pout he’s ever seen him give. Lloyd can’t help but laugh and roll his eyes.

“Fine, fine. I can hit up the bathhouse while we’re out, too.” He gathers up some necessary things in a small bag, and Zelos throws in a handful of his own things too. With a small parcel of gald to spend each, the boys set out, leaving behind the unpleasant room.

 

Despite himself, Lloyd’s frets melt away as they weave into the crowd, the positive energy of the festival working its magic on him. He displays a huge grin as he looks around at all the activities, at the colorful joy between families and friends and couples. There’s a small fake archery exhibit, a ring toss, a bottle-dropping game, horseshoes, and even a fishing game, along with countless food and goodie stands.

There’s a tap on his shoulder, and he turns to find a huge, aromatic kabob of saucy meats and veggies shoved into his face. Zelos smirks as he waggles the stick, gnawing on his own skewer of smoked fish. His stomach growls in response and he accepts the food graciously, taking a huge bite of the top portion-- barbecued steak and sweet soft carrot-- and thanking Zelos with a full mouth.

Zelos walks close to his side, stopping at every stand that sells silly trinkets and toys. It doesn’t take long for him to cling to Lloyd’s elbow as they go, “So’s we don’t lose each other in this crowd”. Lloyd lets him, feeling giddy at his touch, and listens to him chatter and greet people, listens to him exclaim when he finds something exciting.

“Look, for Colette!” About a little toy dog with soft velvet cloth glued over it and cute, shiny eyes.

“Oh man, Raine would just about shit herself, wouldn’t she?” About the mausoleums of Asgard being gaudily done up for the festival, pink streamers covering up valuable artifacts.

“Presea would be all over this,” about someone dressed in a strange mascot costume with big paws and squishy pink toes.

“Imagine Sheena dressed up in that, eh? Eeeh?” About a woman wearing a very revealing outfit, her cleavage prominently featured in a heart-shaped gown.

Lloyd ends up buying them dessert, a cup of fruity frozen yogurt with two spoons for the both of them. Zelos’ eyes pops out of his head at the sight, and he immediately scoops up the juiciest strawberry. Instead of eating it, he offers it to Lloyd instead.

“Go on, bud, say ah!”

Lloyd wrinkles his nose and stammers. “A-aaah?”

Zelos feeds him, pulling out the spoon and booping him on the nose with it. The strawberry melts in his mouth, the sweetness balanced by the tanginess of the creamy yogurt. Lloyd scoops up little balls of kiwi and honeydew and shyly offers it back. “Um. Here.”

Zelos closes his mouth over it, eyes shut. Affection and fondness warms Lloyd’s chest, fills him to the brim with it; how badly he wants to follow up a bite of fruit with a kiss from him.

He could do it, right now. He could close the distance between them and kiss him, again, again and again.

Before he can get up the courage to do it, Zelos has already begun to wander off, dragging him along with him. He settles for another bite of dessert, pouting a little.

 

They find themselves stuck at a ring toss for ten minutes, Lloyd desperately trying and failing to get a stuffed bear for Zelos, before a young girl taps Zelos on the arm, so short that she could barely peer over the countertop of the stand.

“Excuse me, are you a princess?” She asks, wide-eyed at Zelos’ long crimson hair.

“I think I’m talkin’ to one,” he responds smoothly, sinking to her level. “Can I help you, little hunny?”

“Wow, a boy princess…” She scrutinizes him for a long moment before she nods. “I need your help, we need a princess and a knight!”

“Why, whatever for? It just so happens that I have a knight in my company,” Zelos gestures to Lloyd behind him.

“Quick, follow me!” She dashes off into the crowd. Zelos nudges Lloyd away from the ring toss, and they narrowly avoid losing her in the throngs of people.

“You hear her? I’m a boy princess,” Zelos remarks, grinning wide.

“And I’m your knight, huh?” Lloyd smirks, clutching Zelos’ elbow to keep from getting separated.

“My boy knight!”

She leads them to a wooden stage done up to look like an old-timey Northern fairy tale setting, where a small group of people mill around. They duck behind the tall painted wall of the stage to find a group of anxious actors, a pair of them arguing with each other.

“What do you mean they’re _gone?_ We can’t start the show without them!” One man dressed in a pudgy, scaly suit with a long tail grumbles, his cloth winged arms folded over each other.

“They’re not coming back!” Another actor flails her branchy arms in the air, dressed in leaves and bark. “They’re probably off snogging somewhere and we can’t find them in time!”

“Where are the understudies?!”

“ _Also snogging!_ ”

“Damn the necessary chemistry of the main characters of this torrid love story!” The pudgy man droops his wings like he’s deflated. “At this rate, we’ll have to cancel the play. I’m so sorry, Sofie.”

The little girl tugs at the man’s wing excitedly, pointing at Zelos and Lloyd. “I found replacements! A princess and a knight!”

_You’ve got to be kidding me._ “Uh, I mean, I’m not really a good actor,” Lloyd holds up his hands defensively. Zelos folds his arms, surveying the scene, and Lloyd stares him down.

“I could be a princess,” Zelos offers, “are there many lines?”

“Zelos I swear to God--”

“No, it’s fine! Lloyd can be a knight, he basically is every day anyways.”

“There aren’t any lines, it’s a narrated play,” the tree woman says, impossible hope in her voice. “You’ll just have to do some improv, you’ll have to follow along with the narrated script.”

“Give it to us, we’ll read it over real quick.” Zelos is handed the script in two seconds, and he immediately pores over it, while the other actors grab costumes for them. Before Lloyd can blink, he’s shoved into studded tin armor that reeks of bad cologne and handed a flimsy foil sword. Zelos tosses him the papers while they lace Zelos into a terrible dress of bright pink silk. He only has a moment to skim the first page before they end up hidden in the wings of the stage, cheesy violin music and a smattering of applause signalling the beginning of the show.

“Zelos, what are we doing?!” Lloyd whispers to him, panicking.

“We’re saving the show,” Zelos whispers back, nudging him good-naturedly. “Cmon, you got this. If you get nervous, just imagine the audience in their underwear.”

“Zelos, I am _not a lesbian!_ ”

“Haha, excuse me, what?”

“I’m not a lesbian, I can’t act!”

“It’s-- Lloyd, it’s not lesbian-- ohp, that’s your cue, go!” Zelos shoves Lloyd onto the stage. He stumbles as he clanks across the wood, his tin helmet askew on his face. The crowd laughs as he rights himself.

“The, uh, clumsy knight, who has fallen for the graceful princess of the North!” The narrator introduces Zelos, who glides onto stage, his arms outstretched and flourishing fairy-like. He looks ridiculous, wearing that cheap dress and silk slippers, along with a tall cone for a hat with a streamer hanging from it. Lloyd snorts, garnering a glare from the tree woman.

 

The play initially moves along awkwardly, largely in part to Lloyd’s contribution; clearly, the story had been meant to be deeply moving and almost saccharine in its portrayal, but with Lloyd playing the ‘clumsy knight’, the audience laughs, yet they whoop for him when he succeeds against his imaginary foes. Nearing the end of the play, Lloyd is actually starting to have fun, even while sweating out his awful costume. Zelos sits up on scaffolding made to look like a tower, and when he’s not peacocking his kidnapping for the audience, he’s sneaking glances at Lloyd and giving him a thumbs-up.

Finally, Lloyd rescues Zelos from his tower, the man dressed as a dragon lying on the ground ‘slain’. Zelos reaches for his hand and Lloyd spins him down, his dress fluttering about prettily as he touches down. He wraps a hand around his hip, holding him close as he looks up at him.

“The knight has rescued the love of his life, the princess whom he adores so much, he risked his own life to save her!” The narrator bellows, throwing an arm out to them.

“It’s the finale,” Zelos whispers, looking down at him. “You did a great job.”

Lloyd gazes up at him, blinking slowly. He removes his helmet and drops it to the floor, his eyes still locked on Zelos. All he can hear is his heart pounding in his ears. He tries to keep his breathing steady, but they’re so close now, and all eyes are on them, the knight and the princess, the lovers.

_Do it now._

He changes his stance and firmly grasps hold of Zelos’ waist. Zelos gasps as Lloyd dips him, clinging to his shoulders, and Lloyd stems another gasp of his as he places their lips together.

The audience loses it. They stand up in their rows, clapping and cheering and whooping. Lloyd can barely hear any of them. One of Zelos’ hands snakes into his hair and gently scratches, leading into his kiss a little more, really putting up the act for their viewers. Lloyd can only enjoy it for the couple of moments they have, before he finally rights Zelos and pulls away.

They bow along with their cast, Lloyd clutching hands with the dragon man on his right and with Zelos on his left. He lingers with their fingers interlaced for a couple moments after the bow, for the sake of the audience.

It’s a little after midnight after they’re finally finished, and the rest of the festival seems to be tapering off for the night. The cast members thank Lloyd and Zelos for their contribution over and over, and Lloyd in particular receives more flagrant praise than he’s used to.

“You two have such chemistry,” the tree lady coos, “you really did my play such beautiful justice. Would you be interested in doing this again for the last night of the festival tomorrow?”

“We’re all right,” Zelos interjects on Lloyd’s behalf, placing a hand on his shoulder, “we really prefer to keep it low-key, if it’s all the same to you.”

Lloyd gives Zelos a look. _Low-key, huh?_

Lloyd is more than happy to peel off his costume, but the terrible smell of cologne sticks to his skin along with the sweat. He doesn’t look at Zelos as he slings the bag onto his shoulder, his cheeks still flushed.

“Hey. I’m gonna go take that bath now,” he says, hearing Zelos’ costume crinkle as he pulls it off himself.

“Oh, uh, okay. Do you want, uh,” Zelos hesitates, “I mean, could I tag along, maybe?”

“You don’t gotta ask for permission.” Lloyd walks off without waiting for him.

 

Unfortunately, the public bathhouses were stocked full of tourists, even at this time of night. While Zelos was more than happy to pay extra for a private bath, that meant he might want to share and bathe at the same time. Lloyd was not sure if he could handle that right now.

“Hey. Thanks for playing along,” Zelos pulls Lloyd out of his mind, leading the way. “I know it’s not your thing, but I really enjoyed myself, and we helped out a group of pretty cool people.”

“That play was really bad,” Lloyd chuckles, “but eh, I had fun too. I guess it’s not so bad, being a lesbian.”

“Lloyd…” Zelos bites his lip, trying not to laugh. “Never mind. You’re a natural lesbian.”

They enter into a steamy room, with a hot bath drawn in a wooden tub to their left and a washing station in front of them. Smooth wooden planks keep a section of the room risen off the tile, where hooks for clothing and bags are placed up onto the wall. There’s nowhere to hide while changing. The hair on Lloyd’s neck stands on end.

“I can wait in the hallway until you finish,” Lloyd backs up in the doorframe. “So you can have privacy.”

“Don’t be weird, Lloyd, we’ve bathed together before.” Zelos glances at him with a cocked brow. “Keep your towel around your waist if it’s a big deal.”

Lloyd locks the door behind them.

_He’s right. We’ve done this tons of times before._ Lloyd hangs up his bag, swallowing hard. Zelos is already stripping next to him, tossing his dirty clothes in the corner. _I’ve even crushed on him and we were just fine, bathing in the same area. We’re respectful and modest towards each other. Is this really so different?_

Zelos pours a bucket of hot water over his head, groaning loudly. “Fuck, nothing like an actual, proper bath.”

Lloyd stares for a long moment at Zelos’ dripping hair, before his eyes slide downward to his naked ass. His face heats up in an instant, and steam might as well be rising from his forehead. _Shit. I’m in trouble._

Regardless of his trepidation, he sidles up to Zelos, keeping him out of his peripheral so he could try and wash in peace. Zelos’ fragrant shampoo and soaps quickly perfume the small room, making Lloyd dizzy as he lathers himself up with his simpler soap. Even the smell of him made him react so strongly. It was what he smelled when they hugged, when Zelos clung to him like he always does, when he would cuddle with him at night. It smelled familiar and warm and clean.

He could smell that shampoo last night, when Zelos was crushed against him, mixed with the salty tang of sweat they’d accumulated from travel and hardship. He tasted it when he pressed his tongue against his neck and breathed him in, drinking in every sense of Zelos.

Lloyd shudders, suddenly feeling hyper-sensitive. He grabs a bucket of cold water and dumps it over himself, yelping. Zelos laughs at him, completely unaware of Lloyd’s predicament.

They settle in the soaking tub after rinsing. Lloyd sits as far away from Zelos as possible, crossing his ankle on his knee and staring up at the ceiling.

“This is nice,” Zelos sighs. “This was a good evening.”

“Mm. Yeah.”

“See, this is what I love about travelling with you. It’s never boring.” Zelos chuckles, idly flicking at the water. “I knew tagging along with you would be fun.”

Lloyd hums in confirmation again, closing his eyes. His mind still buzzes, but he tries to calm down and relax. He lets the hot water soak into his bones. He takes a deep breath and he can only smell Zelos, but it’s such a comforting scent; why shouldn’t he enjoy it? Why shouldn’t he let it relax him too?

“I’ve actually gotten to help people,” Zelos continues, quietly. “I’ve actually gotten close to people. It’s… weird, opening up. Being real. I can do that in this new world, though. With you.”

Lloyd lifts his head to look at Zelos.

“Heh, sorry. I’m just babbling. Ignore me.” Zelos waves a hand at him. Is he being bashful?

“No, it’s fine. I like when you open up with me.” Lloyd leans forward, submerging his arms in the water. “I’m always listening, yknow.”

Zelos smiles gently. “I’m not used to that. To being actually listened to. That’s just the kind of guy you are, though, Lloyd. Just a great guy all around.”

“Oh, cut it out…”

“I don’t think you know how much everyone-- how much _I_ appreciate you for who you are.” The fondness in Zelos’ voice is impossible. Lloyd averts his gaze, his heartbeat thudding against his chest. “I guess I’m just honored to call you my bud.”

“You’re my bud too, you dork.” Lloyd leers at the wall next to him, hoping the steaminess of the water hides his red, red face. “What’s with all the compliments?”

He jumps when Zelos bumps their shoulders. He hadn’t realized that he’d swam over to his side. Lloyd leers even harder.

“Because I love seeing you turn this cute shade of red,” Zelos teases, leaning in next to him.

That was it. Lloyd immediately splashes out of the tub, amidst Zelos’ teasing laughter and cries to come back into the water.

 

Lloyd gets dressed in fresh clothes, closely followed by Zelos. They walk in quiet back to their inn, looking around at the remains of the second night of the festival. Some people stayed up to pick up the litter and redecorate for the next day, while it seemed like the cliffs above were still full of people partying in the distance.

“Sounds like they broke out the booze,” Zelos muses, sounding interested.

“If you want to go party, you still can,” Lloyd says. “You can have your orgy.”

“Ehhh, nah. I can always drink another time. I think I’ll stick with you, if that’s okay.” Zelos smiles down at him and throws an arm around his shoulders.

“Sure.” Lloyd gives him a lopsided smile back. He ignores the flipflop his stomach does and decides to leave Zelos’ arm alone.

 

They return to their room. Lloyd lights the lantern, wincing at the state of things. The floor looks incredibly uncomfortable and dusty, with still-exposed nails and leftover sawdust. At least the room doesn’t smell bad, just similar to the forgotten wood planks in the corner of his dad’s workshop. The small mattress also just looks abandoned rather than gross, undressed and sitting on a weathered iron bed frame. Zelos dusts off the top of it, frowning.

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Lloyd offers, kicking open his sleeping bag.

“Absolutely not. You need to sleep on a mattress, Lloyd. I, the great Zelos Wilder, sacrifice my spot on the bed to spare you the backache.”

“Dude, no. Your complaints in the morning are the worst.”

“It looks like we’re at an impasse then. We could _both_ sleep on the floor.”

“Or we could both sleep on the mattress, but we’d be cramped and uncomfortable.” Lloyd still opens up his sleeping bag, assuming he’ll win this argument. “We can trade nights or something, I don’t care, Zelos.”

“Well, hey, that’s actually not a bad idea. Why don’t we just cuddle up?” Zelos steals his bag from him and unzips it over the mattress, stooping to do the same with his. “It’s cold tonight anyway, we can share body warmth and all that jazz.”

“No, w-we can’t,” Lloyd’s eyes go wide. “We shouldn’t.”

Zelos side-eyes him. “I literally cuddle with you all the time, Lloyd. It’s not, like, a thing."

“ _Zelos!_ It _is_ a thing!” Lloyd cries, exasperated. “We can’t _do_ that again!”

“Can’t do _what_ again?” Zelos squints at him.

Lloyd works his mouth, but nothing comes out.

 

They stare each other down. A pall settles over the room, and Lloyd’s innards turn to slime. He can’t tell what expression Zelos has now, except that he looks hurt.

“I can leave,” he says quietly, setting down his sleeping bag.

“Don’t, please.” Lloyd gasps, shaking his head. “Anything but that.”

“It’s super clear that you’re disgusted with me, Lloyd.” Zelos’ voice is low and dangerous. “Just tell me to fuck off, and I’ll fuck off, okay? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Lloyd’s jaw drops slack. He should have said something earlier. He should have mentioned something, should have should have _should_ have. And now he can barely speak.

“Well?” Zelos holds out his hands, and Lloyd can see him trembling. Close to breaking.

“I’m not disgusted,” Lloyd mutters, his hands in fists. He stares hard at the ground. “I’m-- I don’t want to screw this up. I did it all wrong.”

Zelos is quiet. He lets his arms fall, but he’s still tense, still staring Lloyd down.

“All I’ve thought about all day is what we did last night,” Lloyd manages to say. “And it’s-- you’re my best friend. I felt ashamed. I took advantage of you, and I can’t do that to you again.”

“You think you took advantage of me?”

“I was so scared that I’d lost you for good,” Lloyd pulls at his hair, tears starting to prick at the corners of his eyes, “I was so relieved to see you again, I thought I fucked up and lost you when you should have been enjoying your easy life, when you wouldn’t even _be_ in danger if it weren’t for _me_.” He hates that his voice shakes, he hates that giant tears begin to fall. “I guess it just all boiled over and I just pounced on you a-and I--”

“Lloyd,” Zelos sighs, “no, no you didn’t.”

“Zelos. I’m sorry.”

“I was the one who took things too far, it’s my fault.” Zelos takes a step forward, but stops as the floor creaks under his foot. “I wanted you so bad.”

“What?” Lloyd sniffles, looking up at him.

“Fuck, Lloyd, don’t make me say it.” Zelos is breathless, helpless, poised on his feet like an animal ready to run. “I can’t handle you rejecting me. I _can’t._ ”

“I couldn’t reject you. All I can think about is you.” Tears blur Lloyd’s vision and drip to his chin. He chokes back a sob. “I'm s-sorry, I'm losing it--”

And then Zelos is in front of him, taking his face in his hands. He wipes away his tears.

“Please don't cry, bud.” There’s that tone of voice again; that fond, concerned voice, the soft and warm and only-for-Lloyd voice. “I’m here.”

Lloyd slips his hands over Zelos’ wrists and rubs his thumbs over the bony planes of his hands. He gazes up at Zelos, again, sniffling, blinking away tears until he can see him clearly. Until he can see the faint scar across his lip, and every freckle dotted on his rosy nose, and his sharp periwinkle eyes.

“Zelos, I always want you here with me.”

Lloyd tilts his head and closes his eyes, and Zelos meets him halfway.

 

They kiss so gently it’s almost like a dream, almost like mana and air. Zelos is timid, as if Lloyd’s bound to bolt. His fingers ghost over Lloyd’s neck, his thumb smooths over his jaw, he touches and touches until Lloyd sighs into his mouth. Lloyd slides his hands to Zelos’ hips and backs up until he’s against the wall, and Zelos follows him, relaxing in his firm grasp. Zelos noses Lloyd’s cheek and kisses the salty trails left by his tears, he kisses below his ear, he kisses his eyelids; slowly, sweetly, gratefully.

This is nothing like the urgency of last night, which feels like eons ago. This is nothing like their heated clash, grabbing to ground each other, clinging to life and lust. And yet every chaste kiss blows Lloyd’s mind. To experience this vulnerable side of Zelos makes Lloyd’s chest ache from the fullness of his adoration of him. His knees threaten to buckle, he’s so _happy_.

“Lloyd,” Zelos whispers, nuzzling his cheek, “Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd. I never want to let you go.”

“Mmm... you won’t have to.” Lloyd backs him over to the mattress. Zelos’ eyebrows fly to his hairline as Lloyd pushes him on top of it and crawls over him. He’s about to say something before Lloyd interrupts him with another kiss.

“What do you know? We _do_ fit.” Lloyd draws his thumb over Zelos’ parted lips. “Comfy?”

Zelos stares up at Lloyd, starry-eyed, pupils blown wide. He nods slowly and swallows.

“Can… can I touch you?” Lloyd’s voice is barely above a whisper. Zelos shudders visibly, and Lloyd is so glad that the room is still dimly lit by the flickering oil lantern so he can see every small reaction. Zelos nods again, quickly, speechless, and he fists his hands in Lloyd’s shirt.

It’s more nerve-wracking than he thought it would be. He starts at Zelos’ chest, drawing his hands down over his neck. He pulls Zelos’ hair up from under him and fans it out behind his head, running his fingers through his scalp. Somehow it’s still a little damp from their bath, and the warm smell of it sends tingles coursing from his cheeks down to his toes. He cautiously leans down to nuzzle his hairline and kiss his neck with a clumsy maneuver.

“This is a dream,” Zelos breathes, letting his arms fall back over his head.

“I’m gonna be so pissed if I wake up,” Lloyd chuckles.

Zelos eagerly accepts Lloyd’s touches, twitching against his palms as he slides underneath Zelos’ shirt. Already Zelos makes sounds, audible gasps for air with every bit of skin he explores. Already Lloyd is filled with confidence, drawing his thumbs over Zelos’ chest until he finds his stiff nipples. He discovers how sensitive Zelos is, how he whines when he’s teased and sighs when he’s stroked, how addicting it is to pull those sounds out of him. How he’s rewarded with long, sweet kisses for his attention.

“How far do you want to go tonight, Lloyd?” Zelos asks, threading his hand through his spiky hair. Lloyd doesn’t miss how his voice trembles.

“Like, you mean sex?” Lloyd looks over Zelos’ needy face for a moment. “I dunno. I’ve never done this before. I don’t think I’m ready to, like, actually _do it._ ”

Zelos snorts, a wide grin gracing his cheeks. “I didn’t expect anal from either of us, Lloyd, don’t worry.”

“I have no clue how to do that stuff. Or much of anything.” Lloyd frowns. “I kinda thought I’d just figure it out as I went along.”

“The true Lloyd Irving way,” Zelos sighs, “I’m so honored to be a part of this illustrious, romantic process.”

Lloyd tickles his sides. Zelos helplessly flails and yelps, laughing and begging for mercy in the same breaths. Lloyd lets him off easy, giggling as he pouts up at him. A couple of kisses take care of him, and they’re back to making out, back to slow and sweet.

“But, seriously, we don’t have to go any further than this if you don’t want to.” Zelos strokes the back of Lloyd’s head, holding him flush against him and kissing him intermittently. “We have all the time in the world, Lloyd.”

Lloyd pulls away gently to sit up, to position himself between Zelos’ legs, and he peels his shirt off in one fluid motion. He helps Zelos with his, and presses a kiss against the warm cauldron of his naked belly.

“I wanted to touch you,” Lloyd answers, his voice husky. “I want to make you feel good. Is that okay?”

“Babe, I don't care if it takes all night,” Zelos huffs.

He dives back against his chest, leaving clumsy kisses all over him; all he knows how to do. All he’s ever wanted to do. He imitates what Zelos did to him last night and draws his lips over a nipple, suckling gently. Zelos’ giddy moan encourages him onward. He nibbles and licks until both sides are slick and over-sensitive, until he’s satisfied, Zelos twitching like popcorn underneath his roaming hands.

“Lloyd, fuck,” Zelos pants heavily, scrubbing his hand over his face, “I haven’t had foreplay like this in years, you’re killing me. You sure you've never done this before?”

“I’m enjoying myself.” Lloyd smirks. “I like the sounds you make.”

“Y-you can’t just say stuff like that.”

“It’s cute. You’re wonderful, Zelos.” Lloyd’s hands trail down to his hips. “Ah… Can I?”

Zelos bites his lip, staring at him between his thighs. “P-please."

He can already see the bulge in Zelos’ pants. His heartbeat speeds up and he hesitates for a moment, before he finally draws his hands down the inside of his thighs. A jolt goes through Zelos’ spine, forcing a pathetic whimper from him, and he throws both of his hands over his face. 

“I wasn’t expecting you to be like this,” Lloyd pants, wondering where his breath went. “I-I thought you’d be more--”

“How many times have I touched myself,” Zelos mutters, trembling, “thinking about you doing this exact thing to me? All the times I closed my eyes and imagined you in this exact spot, and now here you are.” He takes a deep, shuddering breath. “I’ve never had a fantasy come true before.”

Lloyd’s eyes go wide. Zelos, cool, suave Zelos, jerking off to the thought of Lloyd, not just once but dozens of times; Lloyd can hardly believe it. He gently presses between Zelos’ legs, feeling out the hardness of his cock through his pants. Zelos’ breath stutters.

“I’m gonna take these off,” Lloyd says, and Zelos nods distantly. His hands shake as he shuffles off his own pants first, his erection embarrassingly present. Zelos watches from the bed while Lloyd gently undoes his buttons and slides the fabric over his hips, discarding it with the rest of the clothing on the floor. He settles back between his legs, hyper aware of how soft Zelos’ bare skin is against his.

Zelos pushes himself up on his elbows, looking Lloyd up and down with half-lidded eyes. Lloyd can’t help himself. He leans over him and kisses him again, slotting their hips together, and both men gasp. It’s so different from last night somehow; their frantic rutting versus this intimate exchange.

He takes Zelos in hand, grasping him over his underwear. Zelos falls back onto the bed with a sigh and spreads his legs a little, angling to give Lloyd easier access to him.

“Is this okay?” Lloyd slides his waistband down, and his breath catches at the sight of his pale cock. He hardly registers Zelos’ affirmative, drawing him out, appreciating his long shaft and the rosy head and the way he can feel Zelos’ hot pulse in his palm.

“It looks different from mine,” Lloyd breathes, circling his thumb over the tip of him and smearing his precum over the head. He licks the clear fluid from his fingertip. Zelos can barely speak after this, trying and failing to stammer out a reply. Lloyd shifts his underwear down over his ass and lies his dick next to Zelos’, satisfying a long-held curiosity. He’s thicker than Zelos, and only a little bit longer.

“Told you it was big,” Zelos finally says coyly, sitting up to compare. “I’m circumcised, too. Spiritua almighty, I’ve never seen an uncut dick before. It must be a Sylvarant thing.” Zelos takes Lloyd into his hand, squeezing him without hesitation. Sparks explode in Lloyd’s head and hips.

“ _Damn_ ,” Lloyd growls. Zelos plays with his foreskin, drawing it over his head and then pulling it back out, chuckling to himself.

“Boop, there it is.”

“Oh my God, you weirdo.”

“Hehe! Bloop. Fuck, you’re leaking so much…” He moans as Lloyd starts to stroke him back.

It only takes a moment before Lloyd is over him again, pinning him to the bed, before they take each other in hand again. They kiss deeply while they stroke each other off, spilling soft moans into the other’s mouth. Zelos’ grip on him tightens in the right places, the friction maddening, and it’s all Lloyd can do to keep up. The smell of their salt and spice fills Lloyd’s head and gives him a dizzying high; the increasing fervor of Zelos’ velvety smooth voice makes him feel drunk. Their cocks are skin-to-skin, their fingers slip together, their hips sway and grind, it grows so hot and slick in the space between them that Lloyd feels he could melt together with Zelos, feels like he could just drown in the being that was _Zelos_.

Lloyd climaxes first. He loses himself in his bliss, choking on Zelos’ name as he buries his face against his neck and thrusts against him, into his grasping hand. His orgasm shakes him to his core, warms him from his chest to his belly to his cock to his toes, twists his face as he whimpers and spasms. He hears Zelos muttering his name, stroking his free hand into Lloyd’s hair, leaving kisses where he can reach.

When Lloyd recovers, he pulls back just enough to gaze down at Zelos, to take in his beautiful visage, his face shimmering with sweat. He watches him as he quickens his hand to bring Zelos over the edge with him, watches as Zelos’ eyes squeeze shut and his mouth drops open, his quiet moans crescendoing to peals of ecstasy. He fists him, his palm lubricated with his own fluids, until Zelos jolts and shouts, clutching at their makeshift bed sheets, his back rising off the mattress as he overflows.

“Lloyd, Lloyd, _Lloyd, Lloyd!_ ” The spectacle is enough to send hot thrills through Lloyd’s belly. He can’t take his eyes off of him.

Zelos collapses. His head lolls to the side as he pants, a limp hand drawing a simple circle over the mess on his stomach. “Now this is a look,” he chuckles, his eyelids fluttering as he takes himself in.

Lloyd gently takes his wrist and licks the sticky liquid off his fingers. Zelos makes a strangled sound.

“You always look gorgeous,” Lloyd says, a warmth in his voice that makes Zelos visibly shiver as he entwines their fingers. He leans forward to kiss him one more time, and Zelos greedily licks his lips despite their shared exhaustion.

With only a brief moment to hesitate, Lloyd pulls away from Zelos to retrieve his shirt from the floor. He cleans their hands first before mopping up Zelos’ belly, careful to get as much of their semen off him as he could.

“That’ll stain,” Zelos murmurs.

“I’ve got more shirts.” Lloyd tosses it to the floor and curls up next to Zelos. Indeed, the bed was only just big enough for the both of them, their limbs entangled besides. Lloyd manages to get a blanket over them, welcoming Zelos into his arms and against his chest.

They lie there in silence for a moment, Zelos drawing circles on his back, Lloyd stroking Zelos’ hair. Last night had been awkward and stilted, Lloyd pressed against the furthest corner of the tent away from his best friend after the shameful thing they’d done. Tonight was a welcome and stark change, comfortable and pensive, Lloyd’s mind finally at rest. Mostly.

“I hope that was good enough,” he mumbles into Zelos’ hair.

“‘Good enough’?” Zelos echos. “Lloyd, it was amazing. You’re amazing.”

“This was my first, uh, real time with someone else… so…”

“Lloyd.” Zelos smiles against his neck, shaking his head. “I’ve been with a few beautiful women, and even fewer beautiful men. And those times were fun, yeah, but they were mindless. Emotionless. I used them for a distraction from my horrible life, and they used me for status.”

Lloyd swallows around the lump in his throat.

“I can tell you now…” Zelos presses a kiss against Lloyd’s jaw, and his voice quivers. “With someone I actually really, really care for… it’s a completely different experience. Dare I say, life-changing.” He takes a deep breath, and even his sigh wavers. “We could be out in the middle of the fucking woods again, rutting in the dirt, and it would still be incredible for me.”

Zelos laughs and sniffles, wrapping his arms around Lloyd and hugging him close. Lloyd hugs him back, his chest full to bursting. _He really cares for me_. As if Zelos ever gave him any reason to doubt that after today.

Lloyd’s eyes begin to droop closed. He yawns wide, groaning as he settles in closer to Zelos. He’s vaguely aware of Zelos murmuring something against his neck as he drifts off to sleep. His voice is soothing.

“Someday, I’m going to take you out on a proper date, with a bouquet of roses and a moonlit stroll. We’ll have the finest meal and we’ll drink the finest wine… I’ll take you home, I'll lay you down in a proper bed, on proper sheets, and we’ll make love until morning comes.”

_Make love_. Lloyd contentedly hums. “I like the sound of that.”

 

~~

 

Lloyd blinks awake, the sun’s rays pouring over their bed through the window above them. He’d forgotten to draw the curtains last night.

He groans, shifting to switch position, but finds himself stuck. _Ah, right._ Zelos’ limbs are all wrapped around him, and he snores lightly, dead to the world. He can’t help but smile at the sight of him, his chest warming all over again. Last night wasn’t just a dream. _He’s mine now._ Lloyd can’t bring himself to wake him up, not so early in the morning. For today, he’ll let him snooze; they can get their day started a little later than usual. The circumstances were a little special in this case. He places his lips against Zelos’ forehead, his heart fluttering. He can wait a little longer. It had been a while since he’d slept in, anyway.

The next time he stirs, Zelos is over him, smiling down at him lazily. “You let me sleep in. You really do like me.” They spend the late morning fooling around again, light-hearted kisses and touches and so much laughter. Like they’d been doing this for so much longer than the reality; like natural lovers.

They finally start the day shortly after noon, rolling up their things and going over their plans. Lloyd busies himself with their grocery list, scratching budget notes on the margins; it was easier than adding up the numbers in his head.

“There’s one more day of the festival, right?” Lloyd asks and glances over to Zelos, who looks up from his map. “After we check on Noishe, do you want to go one more night? Erm. As an official, uh, whatever we are?”

“What do you think we are, Lloyd?” Zelos places his chin on his hand, smiling mischievously.

“A-A couple.” Lloyd clears his throat. “Lovers. Partners.”

Zelos giggles. “Boyfriends?”

“Boyfriends. Yeah, I like that.”

“I’d love to.”

As they leave the inn, dressed in their casual wear, Zelos slips his palm against Lloyd’s, interlacing their fingers. Lloyd leans into him, bashful, and grins wide as Zelos kisses him on the cheek. He could get used to this affection.

“Lloyd! There you are! And good, the Chosen’s with you too!”

Lloyd blinks, squeezing Zelos’ hand as a strangely familiar voice reaches out to them. A dark-haired woman makes it through the festival crowd, followed by a couple of young men. After a moment, Lloyd recognizes her as Aisha, the Asgardian girl they saved over a year ago from being a human sacrifice. Her friends are Harley and Linar, if he recalls correctly.

“Well hell-LO, hunny,” Zelos croons, sliding his arm around Lloyd’s hip possessively.

“Aah, Aisha, right? What’s up?”

“I didn’t know you two were going to be in town,” she says, folding her hands together, “you should have stopped by to visit!”

“Sorry, uh, we were. Kind of distracted,” Lloyd laughs nervously.

“Well, I knew I saw you last night, and I’ve been looking for you all morning! These are for you two.” Aisha holds out her hands, producing two long cords with broken-looking yet cute pendants hanging from them. She demonstrates how they piece together into a whole heart shape, and then hands one to Zelos and one to Lloyd.

“What are these?” Zelos arches a brow, exchanging looks with Lloyd.

“I’m one of the Festival planners for this year’s festivities! We put together a bunch of different fun games and rewards that people can win during the Festival of Lovers. Last night, you two were voted ‘Cutest Couple’ by a majority of the festival goers and our staff.”

“Cutest couple?” Zelos’ cheeks flushed.

“Last _night_?” Lloyd said in tandem.

“We were told by everyone that the Hero and the Chosen of Tethe’alla were being lovey-dovey among the crowd, and that you were a very brave and inspiring pair!” Aisha smiles as she looks between them. Zelos reaches over to close Lloyd’s dropped jaw with a single finger. “It’s more than just the both of you being men, it’s also the fact that you two were from entirely different worlds. It’s a wonderful symbol of love helping to bridge even the farthest chasms, bringing two people together. To be so public with it, also, just attests to how much courage--”

“Aisha, hunny,” Zelos interrupts, tying the necklace around his throat, “forgive me, but we’re just two dudes who smooch. It ain’t any deeper than that.”

“O-oh--”

He returns his arm to Lloyd’s waist. “We’re not interested in being symbols of anything, we’re just a completely normal couple. Real sweet of you though, really sweet thought, and the pendants are cute. We’ll wear them, won’t we Lloyd?” He smirks brightly, squeezing Lloyd’s hip. “We’re the stars of the evening, you and I.”

“Yeah.” Lloyd relaxes in his arm, looking up at him.

Aisha folds her arms, still smiling. “Okay, okay. Make sure you make it to the final ceremony tonight, okay? We put together something really special, there's gonna be lots of food and drink. Come by my house!”

They say their goodbyes, and Lloyd leads them both away, his face pink.

“Zelos. Were we being lovey-dovey last night?” Lloyd scrunches his face, thinking back to yesterday. “You _always_ cling to me. I guess we did share food. And I did try to get you that stuffed bear."

Zelos rubs his chin. “I mean, you also dramatically kissed me in front of an audience after saving me from a dragon.”

“Oh. Damn. Yeah, I did that.”

Zelos laughs. He reaches over and ties the leather cord of the pendant around Lloyd’s neck, pulling away to flick the bottom of his chin with his finger. “My loyal knight.”

“And, um, my prince,” Lloyd replies with a bashful chuckle, averting his eyes. “You’re my prince.”

“Your charm isn’t in your words, bud, don’t worry.” Zelos laughs again, clapping an indignant Lloyd on the shoulder.

 

They return to the thick of the festival, intent on thoroughly enjoying themselves. With plenty to do around town, the rest of the afternoon swiftly folds into the evening. They play games for small prizes and they watch another play put on by the cast from yesterday. They share wine and sing songs with strangers that bring out their instruments and play joyfully into the night.

Zelos even manages to get Lloyd to dance with him to the music until they’re breathless and laughing, spinning each other until they’re too dizzy to see straight. Zelos pulls him close and holds him as the song ends, his grin as dazzling as the stars above their heads, and Lloyd sees his eyes glisten when he looks up at him.

As the night comes to an end, they make their way to Aisha’s, led by the strong smell of earthy spices and cooking food. She greets them with open arms. They sit and catch up as the food is being prepared, their cups overflowing with good drink. Lloyd hasn’t indulged like this in ages, he thinks. It feels nostalgic, almost, so very Sylvarant that it feels like home. Zelos chats and gestures, telling stories, and their fingers are interlaced on the table.

Here next to Zelos, it’s always like home.

Shortly after dinner, they make their way to the roof of Aisha’s house, just the two of them. Lloyd stares up into the night sky, jumping as the air above them pops and sparkles with color. He rarely gets to see fireworks. They amaze him as they screech into the sky and explode like bombs, shocking him every time with the noise. His face is warm and fuzzy from the wine they sip, and his belly is full of curry and rice and bread pudding.

“Mizuho-made,” Zelos murmurs from Lloyd’s lap, staring up at the fireworks along with him as Lloyd runs his fingers through his hair. “Traditional for ‘em. Got real popular in Tethe’alla. ‘Speeeeecially Meltokio and Altamira.”

“Got enough wine there, Zelos?” Lloyd chuckles.

“Shhhh, you’ve been drinking too.” Zelos turns his head against his belly, grinning. “This has been the best, Lloyd. Thank you. I guess I’m glad we almost died the other day.” He laughs, his voice filling Lloyd from head to toe with utter joy.

“Yeah… I wouldn't have even realized you felt the same towards me, much less confessed.”

“Lloyd, you don't even know.” Zelos closes his eyes. “You don't even know.”

Lloyd gazes down at him, the firelight from the skies illuminating Zelos’ face. Zelos Wilder, beautiful, charming, alive, and his. _His_. And he’d fight with his entire being to keep it that way.

He strokes a thumb across his cheek. His heartbeat picks up, and he hesitates before he speaks.

“Zelos. Will you stay with me? Always?”

Zelos is quiet for a long moment, his nose tucked against Lloyd’s shirt. He feels him smile before he moves. He pulls himself up on his arms and kisses him gently, humming against Lloyd’s lips, forging a promise between them both.

“I will. Always.”


End file.
